Know your food Dairy foods from around the world years

Know your food Dairy foods from around the world years

Dairy - an introduction Nutrition Dairy foods are an excellent source of protein. Proteins should contribute 10-15 per cent of our total energy (calorie) intake. This amount is essential for normal growth and repair of body tissues. Dairy foods are also the main source of calcium for most people s diets. Calcium is essential for bone growth and density, and to minimise the risk of osteoporosis (weak bones) in later life. Notes on cheese Cheeses of many kinds come from around the world with a wide variety of smells and tastes. The cheese activity lets children experience these, along with a range of other delicatessen foods. Aims of the session: To introduce children to the variety of dairy foods available. To encourage them to be confident in their food choices and extend the range of foods they are willing to try. To teach them about the nutrition value of dairy foods. To teach them about dairy foods that come from other countries around the world. Suitable for ages seven to eleven Curriculum links: maths, English, science, geography. Estimated delivery time: 1 hour. Activities can be done separately and individual times are given. Outline of activities 1. Cheese tasting. Children are introduced to a range of cheeses from around the world. They taste a selection of international cheeses and compare flavours and experiences (45 minutes). 2. Children make a fruity yoghurt cup (45 minutes).

Estimated delivery time: 45 minutes Activity 1: An introduction to cheeses from around the world What you will need Map of the World. A display of cheeses, to include: English Cheddar French Brie Greek feta Mozzarella Danish Blue Dutch Edam Swiss Emmenthal or Jarlsberg Airtight boxes with small squares of cheese cut, ready to sample or cut the cheese from the display into small pieces for tasting. Select five to taste from the samples you take which will demonstrate different colours, textures, smells and tastes. (The cheese must be transported using a cold bag packed with ice blocks.) Paper plates Crackers (to taste the cheese on) Cocktail sticks Bin bags for waste Blindfolds Antibacterial gel, spray and cleaning cloths How to run this session Before the children arrive Set out the display of different cheeses. In-school KNOW your food DAIRY FOODS FROM ROUND THE WORLD

Introduction Introduce yourself. Tell the class they will be tasting cheeses from around the world. If you haven t already, explain that most of the milk that we drink comes from a cow on a farm. The cow has to have a calf and then it starts to produce milk. Once the cow has had her calf, she can be milked regularly by the farmer. The milk is treated and made safe for us to drink. Questions to ask the children Can you think of the names of any cheeses from other countries? Encourage discussion about where cheeses are (geographically) made. Activity Use the cheeses in your display to show the variety available. Tell the class as they taste some of the cheeses they should guess which is which, because the tasting will be done blindfolded. Organise the class into groups of three or four. Give each group a plate of each cheese to sample. On each plate, give enough pieces of cheese for each child to have a taste. Ask the group to write on the paper plate which cheese is which. Each group also needs a blindfold. Taking turns, each child in the group tastes the cheeses and tries to guess which is which. Tell the children they have 15 minutes to carry out the blind tasting. Encourage them to try all the cheeses, even the ones they don t like the look of. Ask them to think of words to describe the look, smell and taste. Use the words on the worksheet to help the children to describe their tasting experience. Suggest they also think of their own words. Children complete the worksheet for each cheese. How to finish this session When the blind tasting is finished, ask the groups who the champion taster was in their group. Ask the group to vote for their favourite cheese from the tasting.

Activity sheet: Cheese taste testing Name of cheese Country Describe the taste Describe the texture 1 2 3 4 5 Is the texture (feel) of the cheese: Soft Hard Spongy Moist Smooth Lumpy Chewy Dry Grainy Powdery Creamy Is the taste of the cheese: Strong Sour Vinegary Sweet Salty Soapy Very tasty Tangy Mushroomy Milky In-school KNOW your food DAIRY FOODS FROM ROUND THE WORLD Xerox Code: CLSK021

Teacher s follow-up session Aims of the session To introduce or revise information about the variety of dairy foods available. To encourage children to be confident in their food choices. To extend the range of foods children are willing to try. To teach children where dairy foods come from and how they are made. Outline of activity This practical activity shows children very simply how cheese is made. It is best demonstrated to a small group of children because hot liquids are involved. What you will need Access to a hotplate or stove to heat the milk A large saucepan A large spoon for stirring the milk A large bowl to drain the hot milk into A colander or large sieve A very clean tea towel to catch the cheese curds A plate to serve Two pints of full cream milk 2 x 15ml spoons white vinegar A pinch of salt Spoons or forks for tasting Serve this cheese on a bed of sliced tomatoes, garnished with basil leaves. In-school KNOW your food DAIRY FOODS FROM ROUND THE WORLD

How to run this session Explain to the children that you are going to show them how to make a very simple soft, white cheese. It s very similar to mozzarella, the cheese used on pizzas. Have all your ingredients and utensils ready, with the colander, lined with the clean tea towel placed over the bowl ready to drain the hot curds and whey. Pour the milk into the saucepan and heat, stirring all the time to prevent a skin from forming on the top. When the milk starts to simmer, add the vinegar and keep stirring gently. The milk will curdle as the curds (the solid part of the milk) separate from the whey (the watery liquid that is left). Allow the curdled milk to continue to cook gently for a couple of minutes, stirring all the time. Then remove from the heat and pour through the tea towel and colander. Allow it to drain, separating the curd cheese from the whey. Spoon the cheese curds on to the tomatoes and season with a little salt. Dress your cheese and tomato salad with oil and herbs if you wish, and give everyone a taste. How to finish this session Summarise the activity: cheese is made from milk which is heated and then separated. We have used cows milk, but cheese is also made from sheep s milk, goats milk, even camels milk! The cheese curds we have made can be formed into cheeses. The longer they are kept (in the right conditions) the firmer they become and the more flavour develops. Some cheese, such as Cheddar or parmesan, can be kept for up to two years.